The Amare option is open

Fascinating to hear, with injuries now taking a prominent role in the NBA, that Knicks coach Mike Woodson worried he was too demanding of forward Amare Stoudemire back in January. Stoudemire was returning from a knee debridement then, and now that he is returning from the same procedure—he'll be available to play Saturday against Indiana—Woodson is preaching caution.

Asked at practice Thursday about tamping down expectations for Stoudemire, Woodson said, “We’ve talked a little bit about that. We talked about it way back when he had the surgery, what we expected from him based on him coming back, because I thought maybe we might’ve pushed him too much early on. So we’ve got to be really cautious this time I think with him and just make sure we’re doing the right things with him. Not that we didn’t think that when he came back the first time, but this time we’ve really got to be cautious, and he understands.”

Still, the Knicks have to be eyeing Stoudemire with some eagerness. What’s happened to them this postseason is the thing most feared would happen after watching them in the regular season—the 3-point shot, such a staple of their offense, has proven unreliable. The Knicks are shooting just 33.7 percent on 3s in the playoffs, down from 36.5 percent in the regular season. While J.R. Smith (30.0 percent) and Carmelo Anthony (27.9 percent) have had their shooting woes well-documented, fact is, the entire reserve corps of Knicks has been awful from the perimeter, combining to shoot 28.2 percent on 3s.

That’s where Stoudemire comes in. Because of the added caution with his knee, Woodson won’t play him more than 15 minutes or so. Still, those 15 minutes could prove valuable against a team like Indiana, which was the best in the league at defending the 3-point line. The Knicks' offense has struggled not just because it hasn’t been making 3s, but because it has nowhere to turn when those 3s are not falling.

Stoudemire can change that, even in limited minutes. They probably will never get a full season out of him again, but in this moment—in this series—Stoudemire can at least be a backup player who can score in the paint. When he was playing this year, Stoudemire averaged 14.2 points in 23.5 minutes, with 89.6 percent of his field goals coming in the paint.

Woodson needs a player who can change the tenor of a game in short bursts, a guy who gives him another option beyond more perimeter shooting. That’s what Stoudemire can offer. The more he can play, the more he is going to help the limping Knicks offense.

Hello, Lakers?

The best coaches are those who can adapt to the talent on hand; the ones who don’t come in with a pre-planned system but create a system around the guys they have. There are plenty of coaches with a style they’ll impose no matter who is on the roster, and it can be baffling when front offices hire a system coach for a team whose players don’t match that system.

Yet, it happens. And if fans are annoyed by it, they should know that it annoys Hubie Brown, former coach and eminent broadcaster, too.

“Too many times, coaches are picked to come to a team and it’s the worst style of play for the current players that are there under contract,” Brown told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Especially the main three guys, can they get the type of shots that they are accustomed to in the areas that they shoot a high percentage? And also, the style of play that they want to play?

"So when you look at it, you want the resumé … but the style of play that they are going to bring at both ends of the floor is critical because of my talent base. Because if you bring in the opposite, you're just wasting time because unfortunately it's not going to work, and we have seen this time and time again with a lot of teams.”

There are six teams with coaching vacancies, with the possibility that another three teams will follow. Here’s hoping they listen to Hubie.

Rivers not running from Boston

Speaking of coaches, teams hoping to woo one of the best in the game—Boston's Doc Rivers—are going to be disappointed. Rivers is under contract with the Celtics through the 2015-16 season, and the only two options he will consider are coming back with the Celtics or walking away for a year. Every offseason, Rivers retreats to Florida to take some time to consider his future, and he’s doing just that now.

Team president Danny Ainge, speaking on the radio station WEEI, said Thursday, “Doc is always unsure. Coaching is very, very draining. Every year with Doc, he’s had to go home and sort of recharge and ask himself that question, 'Is this something that I’m passionate about and want to continue doing?’ I understand that. And we sort of give him time to unwind and relax, and after a couple of 92s on the golf course, he usually comes back.”

Now, the issue of which players will be on the roster is still very much a question in Boston. But as for coaching, it’s likely to be Rivers again.